About Turning 26

If you care to read about the happenings of my birthday, you’ve come to the right place!

For those interested: a written account of turning 26.

My birthday celebration started a few days early with the arrival of a birthday package from my parents full of….Cereal!!!  No almost-26-year-old was ever this happy over a few boxes of cereal until now.  The icing on that cake was the fact that when I told my sister I had gotten four boxes of cereal, she guessed which ones my parents sent and guessed three out of the four correctly. What can I say, we’re a family that enjoys cereal! A family that eats cereal together….well, eats cereal together. And it’s a good thing.  

 

 

Birthday Presents!!  It was already a treat that the presents
made it through customs without being unwrapped!
Since clearly unwrapping gifts is half the fun.

I woke up early on April 8th, my birthday, to give myself enough time for physical and mental preparation for that particular tuesday: formula gate day, which has the reputation of usually being our busiest day during a given week. Every-other tuesday is such a day, where all of the people involved in that program come to be weighed and receive a supply of milk formula for an additional two weeks.

When I walked out of my room, the main area of our house was decorated with balloons and my roommate was waiting there with breakfast - French Toast!  Best part was the candles in my French Toast. Thanks Jenna for such an exciting start to the day!  

The morning commenced as explained above and fulfilled its reputation of being busy. We weighed 52 kids in total. Between weighing and providing medical care, it was scattered with birthday greetings and songs from my co-workers and handmade cards from some of the missionary kids. The morning ended with admitting a baby girl who was showing signs of severe malnutrition into our care. Just so happened that it was her birthday, too!  She was turning one. We were officially birthday buddies.  The rest of the afternoon was spent assessing her and working on a plan for nutrition and care with some of the other staff who would help care for her.

 

Once that little birthday girl was settled, this birthday girl went out for dinner with some of the other ladies that live and work here. Getting off the compound is a special treat, especially when it includes pizza and ice cream!

 

Roomies!!

All dressed up

The evening progressed like a typical evening - watching an episode of Parenthood with Jenna. But then Christina shook it up when she stopped by with homemade chocolate peanut butter cupcakes!  Yes please!  Thanks again, Christina.

 

 

I saw my birthday all the way through to the last hour, staying awake past midnight with my new birthday buddy.  It was definitely a memorable day.  I am so grateful for the blessing of meeting this precious angel and being able to be part of a glimpse of her life.  

Hanging out together on our birthday!! 

 

Precious Podelandine passed away on the evening of April 9th. Now she is celebrating a new birthday in the presence of Jesus.  

 

You can read more about her short time with us at COTP in these blog posts written by my coworkers, Carla: In Christ Alone

and Jenna: A Heavenly After